Track-handling device for



W. L. MILES.

TRACK HANDLING DEVICE FOR DREDGES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19. 1915.

1 1 96,0 1 2 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

WITNESSES: La VENT) M 2% 47% mu. 5 2; a /[z /Mz I BY Wide; ATTORNEYWILLIAM L. MILES, OF SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

TRACK-HANDLING DEVICE FOR DREDGES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 29, 1916,

Application filed October 19, 1915. Serial No. 56,708.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MILES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track- HandlingDevices for Dredges; and I do hereby declar the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to dredges and excavating machines and pertainsmore particularly to dredges mounted to travel on temporary tracks, thetracks being removed from behind the machine and relaid ahead of themachine as th work of excavating progresses.

The invention relates still more particularly to an improved means forconveniently and quickly taking the track sections from the rear of themachine, transporting them to the front and relaying them in advance ofthe machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensivedevice for transporting the track sections, as above noted, the devicecomprising longitudinally disposed beams or rails, which carry thetransporting carriage, the beams themselves being adapted to serve astie members or stiffener-s for the frame of the dredge truck.

With these and certain other objects in view, which will appear later inthe specification, my improvement consists in th devices described andclaimed, and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dredge with myimprovement attached. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3

is a top plan view of one form of truck. Fig. 4c is a transversesection, to reduced scale, taken on line 4.t of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a partsectional elevation of a modified form of truck and track.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, 1 represents the track, on whichthe dredge is mounted.

2 is the frame of the dredge truck, and 3, 3 are longitudinal beamsextending parallel with the track 1 and mounted on the frame 2. Theforward end 4 of each beam 3 projects ahead of the front Wheels 5 0f t edredge, and the rear end 6 projects to the rear of the back wheels 7.

Upon each beam 3, 3 a carriage 8 is mounted, upon which the rails 1 maybe transported from the rear to the front of the dredge. The preferablemanner in which the carriage 8 is mounted upon the beams 3,3 is shown inFig. 4, where 9, 9 are flanged wheels riding upon the lower innerflanges of the beams 3, 3, the wheels belng inclined to suit theinclination of the flanges. The wheels are mounted upon a suitable ironframe 10, which carries a block 11, or its equivalent, surmounted by asuitable table 12. This arrangement enables the table 12 to be keptclose down to the top of the I-beam track 3 and the I-beams protect thewheels 9.

A modified form of table and track is shown in Fig. 5, where wheels 9are mounted on opposite sides of a single I-beam track 13, the table 14being carried by an inverted U-frame 15 mounted upon the wheels 9. Toprevent sidewise tilting of the table, suitable guide-rollers 16 aremounted on the frame 15, adapted to engage the sides of the upper flangeof the I-beam 13.

The tracks 3, or the track 13, may be bolted, or otherwise, rigidlysecured to the frame 2 of the truck, thereby stiffening the frame andimparting rigidity to the dredge. The tracks are adapted to be easilyapplied to any ordinary form of dredge frame, constituting, togetherwith the carriage, an effective device for transporting rails or othermaterial from one end to the other of the dredge while the dredge is inoperation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. The combination of a dredge frame, a horizontal flanged track securedto the dredge frame and having its front and rear ends projectedrespectively in advance of and to the rear of the dredge frame, and amovable carriage mounted thereon, said carriage comprising wheelsadapted to roll upon the lower flange of said track, a frame carried bysaid wheels and a table on said frame, said table disposed above theupper flange of said track.

2. The combination of a dredge frame, a horizontal track secured to thedredge frame and having its front and rear ends proin proximity to theupper flange of said beam, for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM L. MILES.

jected respectively in advance of and to the rear of the dredge frame,said horizontal track comprising a flanged beam, and a movable carriagemounted thereon, said carriage comprising inclined Wheels adapted toroll upon the lower flanges of said track, a frame mounted on saidWheels, and a table on said frame, said table disposed above andWitnesses:

NELLIE M. ANGUS, ROY WALLIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing; the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

